Dynamics

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /dɑɪˈnæm.ɪks/

Definitions

1. The study of forces and motion in objects and systems ; the study of interaction patterns and changes within systems or groups
2. A branch of physics that analyzes how forces cause movement and change ; the examination of evolving relationships and activities in complex settings
3. Focusing on how physical forces influence motion and acceleration ; describing the ways systems or groups change and develop over time

Etymology: The noun "dynamics" is really a plural of "dynamic", which is itself an adjective-turned-noun. The source of both is the Ancient Greek "dúnamis", meaning power, force or capability, drawn from a verb meaning "to be able". Greek writers built "dunamikós" from it, meaning "relating to power", and French later borrowed the idea as "dynamique", which English then took in as "dynamic". The plural ending is the surprising part. "Dynamic" in English began as an adjective meaning "relating to force or power", and it was only later that it was used as a noun for the forces behind a process. The "-s" on "dynamics" is a plain English plural ending, the same one found in "physics" and "mechanics", which are also sciences ending in -s despite their singular use. Speakers attached it to "dynamic" once it had become a noun for a field of study, so "dynamics" is the name of a discipline rather than a count of several things. From physics, the word spread outward. Its second sense, the patterns of interaction within a group or system, came from applying the same idea of driving forces to people and societies, so a "group dynamic" is a force-pattern among its members.

Synonyms: forces, mechanics